Combined gas controller and igniter for explosive-engines



PATBNTED JAN; 26, 1904.

S. CUNNINGHAM. COMBINED GAS CONTROLLER AND IGNITER FOR EXPLOSIVEENGINES.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 20, 1903 2 SHEETS- SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR BY'QvZU ATTORNEY 1m: Norm-s P515615 00. motouvno. WAS-:(NGTOV,a. c

PATENTED JAN. 26, 1904.

S. CUNNINGHAM.

COMBINED GAS CONTROLLER AND IGNITER FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINE$.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

' FIGIB.

INVENTOR UNITED STATES Patented January 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFIC STEWART CUNNINGHAM, OF TURTLECREEK, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED GAS CONTROLLER AN D IGNITER FOR EXPLOSlVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 750,349, dated'January26, 1904:.

Application filed May 20, 1903. Serial No. 157,974. (No model.)

To all whom it nearly concern.-

Be it known that I, STEWART CUNNINGHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Turtlecreek, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a CombinedGas Controller and Igniter for Explosive-Engines, of which improvementthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a combined device forcontrolling the gas-supply to and igniting the mixture inexplosiveengines, said device being so constructed and arranged as tooperate automatically and when occasion demands be operated by hand topermit the explosive-chamber beingIsupplied with gas at starting or onfirst stroke.

In the accompanying drawings I have in various ways illustrated myimproved device and parts thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical rearelevation of an explosive-engine having my improved device attachedthereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical side elevation of the device detached fromthe engine. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the valve andsparking chamber of said. device. Fig. 4 is also avertical sectionalview through said chambers and the valve thereof as the same wouldappear at right angles to the former View. .Fig. 5 is an eX- 6 is a viewsimilar to that shown at Fig. 2

as it would appear in section on the line X X of Fig. 3.

On further reference to said drawings for a detailed description of saiddevice and its operation the numeral 1 designates a sparkingchamber,which is attached to and communicates with the explosive-chamber 2 ofthe engine and to the pipe 3 for conducting the gas to said chamber by aport 4. A transverse opening is formed through the ported portion of thechamber-body, into which opening is loosely fitted a ported cut-offvalve in the form of a shaft 5 for controlling the gas-supply, whichvalve-shaft is provided at one extremity with a rigid disk 6, providedwith outwardly-extended pins 7 This valveshaft is provided at itsopposite end with a collar 8 in the form of a ratchet-wheel, a clutchmember 9, and a hand-wheel 10. A clutch member 11 for registering withthe aforesaid fixed clutch member is loosely mounted upon the same endof said valveshaft, so: that said cut-01f valve may be locked thereto asit is turned in one direction and yet permit the same being turned inthe opposite direction by means of the hand: wheel for the purposehereinafter specified. A gear-pinion 12 is likewise loosely mounted uponsaid valve-shaft and is provided at one end with a disk 13, from whichprojects guidepins 14, which enter openings within the collar 15,carried by the loose clutch member, thereby locking said pinion to saidmember, and in order to cause engagement between said members spiralsprings 16 are fitted upon said pins. A vertically-disposed pawl 17 isloosely mounted within a pair of lugs formed upon the side of thechamber to engage the ratchet of the valve-shaft and limit the movementto one half-revolution when turned by hand, and in order to insureengagement of said pawl at all times with said ratchet a spiral spring18 is employed. Loosely mounted upon a shaft or stud 19 at the side ofsaid chamber is a segmental gear-rack 20, having attached thereto a rod21, which passes down through a bracket 22 to a point over the cam 23.This rod is adapted to be reciprocated vertically by means of the camwhen the engine is in operation, and thereby automatically transmit asemirotary movement in one direction to the valve, and thus permit thegas to enter the explosive-chamber and be cut off at proper intervals inaccordance with the piston-stroke, said rod being actuated upon itsdownward stroke by a spiral spring 24, and when occasion demands, as instarting, the rod is thrown out of engagement with the cam by means ofthe lever 25, link 26, and sleeve 27, thus permitting the valve to beturned by hand. To ignite the explosive elements, a fixedcontact-terminal 28 is insulatedly secured within the wall of thesparkingchamber and is connected to one terminal of a spark-coil 29 by awire 30. This fixed con tact is adapted to be engaged by an oscillatablecontact 31, arranged upon a shaft 32 and connected by a wire 83 with abattery 33', and the spark-coil by a wire 34:, said shaft being providedwith a lever 35, whereby the same is moved in one direction by engagingwith the valve-shaft pins 7 as said valve performs its semirotarymovement with a lever 35, attached to the shaft of said contact, and isreturned to its normal position in the opposite direction by a spiralspring 36.

It is to be understood that the movable parts are to be so proportionedand arranged relative to the piston and cam movements as to permit thegas being supplied and cut off and the ignition thereof take place atthe proper moment. It is also understood that the relative proportion ofthe cam may be so arranged as to cause a lesser or greater movement ofthe valve in accordance to the cycle of the engine.

Having thus fully shown and described my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In an igniter for explosive-engines, the combination of asparking-chamber arranged upon and communicating with theexplosivechamber and provided with a passage-way communicating with thegas-supply line, an electric circuit, a pair of contact members arrangedin said sparking-chamber and included in said circuit one of which is.adjustably secured therein and the other arranged upon a shaft providedwith a rock-lever, an automatically-operated intermittingly-rotatablevalveshaft extending through said passage-way and provided with a portadapted to register with said passage-way and control the gastherethrough, a member carried by one end of said valve-shaft adapted toengage with and operate said rock-shaft in one direction to cause saidcontacts to engage, and a spring to return said rock shaft to its normalposition and thereby break the contact between said mem bers, as shownand set forth.

2. In an igniter for explosive-engines, the combination of asparking-chamber arranged upon and communicating with theexplosivechamber and provided with a passage-way communicating with thegas-supply line, an electric circuit, a pair of contact members arrangedin said sparking-chamber and included in said circuit one of which isadjustably secured therein and the other arranged upon a shaft providedwith a rock-lever, an automatically-operated intermittingly-rotatablevalveshaft extending through said passage-way and provided with a portadapted to register with said passage-way and control the gastherethrough, a member carried by one end of said valve-shaft adapted toengage with and operate said rock-shaft in one direction to cause saidcontacts to engage, means to intermittingly rotate said valve-shaftindependent of the automatic means to control the gas-supply, and aspring to return said rock-shaft toits normal position and thereby breakthe contact between said members, as shown and set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

STEWART CUNNINGHAM. Witnesses:

RICHARD S. HARRISON, JOHN GROETZINGER.

